LETTER: To spot zone in Big Pond Centre or not to spot zone?

It was 15 weeks ago when I first saw, on Facebook, Chris Skidmore’s plan to create a sandy 1,000-foot sandy beach at the big pond, the one our community is named for.

And, zoom, the vote on whether to create a new land zone in Big Pond is tonight.

As this space is limited, I have decided to make five important points briefly:

We, and the CBRM council, do not know enough about Mr. Skidmore’s project. Why? He has not shared specific, essential information such as how the proposed new beach would be manufactured, or what is involved in putting up the water-play park. Or whether the funding for this project is in place.

For example, through research, I found out that the exact water-play structure shown in Mr. Skidmore’s marketing information was anchored by 68,000 pounds of concrete.

Nova Scotia is actively encouraging new farmers through their FarmNext progam and this RV project would almost certainly shut down the operation of the organic farm that would be next to it. Planner Karen Neville referred to the number of dwellings that would be near the development but not of their purpose.

That the Bras d’Or Lake is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve was not considered as relevant to the planning department in deciding whether to recommend that CBRM Council create this new zone. This is odd, and outrageous. In 2004, CBRM Council supported, and committed to, a special approach to protecting the Bras d’Or Lake environment that would involve provincial and federal governments and the leaders of our aboriginal communities. What has changed?

Why should a developer be allowed to manufacture a beach on the shores of the Bras d’Or Lake when we have are so fortunate as to have many beautiful beaches in Cape Breton? Surely an RV park in Cape Breton should be located next to a natural beach that can be enjoyed instead of a pond filled with eelgrass, active oyster beds, and so on?

“It’s the silent majority that I am here for. It is the people that don’t see it as a problem. … Those are the people that I am representing,” said developer Chris Skidmore at the CBRM public hearing.

It is worrisome to our community that Skidmore does not view us as serious stakeholders in this proposed project as should it go forward it will change some of our lives in real ways. One of the first tenets of successful rural development is for the developer to find out what kind of development the community will support – a largely unwanted development should never be forced upon a rural community that has zoning laws in place to protect it.

Let me close by saying that Cape Breton Island continually attracts global attention as unique tourism destination where unspoiled water, like that of the Bras d’Or, the rugged beauty of the highlands, and the quiet rural communities that have somehow managed to hold on to their culture and protect their lands as the outside world rushes past.

This is what we offer the world.

CBRM Council, we ask that you protect the Bras d’Or Lake and the Lochmore Harbour by rejecting Mr. Skidmore’s request that you create a special zone for his project, and protecting our rights as rural citizens.